Rose of Sharon Tree help needed

[cmh]

I have 6 ROS trees. All were healthy until this season. Once the trees began growing leaves after the winter, only 5 of them grew all leaves and flowered. The other one has small leaves on one trunk and has no leaves at all on the other 3 trunks. I'm not sure if it froze or is diseased, but it shows no signs of disease. It looks exactly like the others but has no leaves. Is there anything that I can do? Can I cut it back and hope for it to grow back next season?

[bullthistle]

It could have been a bad winter but I'd cut it back in the fall and see what happens next spring and also dig a trench around the drip line and give it some fertilizer and compost or manure.

[cmh]

How far back can I cut them?

[rainbowgardener]

Rose of Sharon is very hardy and vigorous, perhaps you might even say aggressive/ invasive. The problem I have with them isn't keeping them alive, it 's keeping it from taking over my yard. It pops up seedlings and shoots from the roots all over the place, tons of them. I'm constantly pulling them.

So I would say you could probably cut it all the way down to the ground. If the plant is well established and not dead, it will come back from the roots, probably more vigorously than ever.